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SPONSOR: |
Moore |
DATE TYPED: |
02/06/02 |
HB |
HJM 74 |
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SHORT TITLE: |
Recruit Rural Health Care Providers |
SB |
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ANALYST: |
Dunbar |
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APPROPRIATION
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Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
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FY02 |
FY03 |
FY02 |
FY03 |
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$0.1 |
See Narrative |
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(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Department of Health (DOH)
Health Policy Commission (HPC)
SUMMARY
Synopsis
of Bill
House Joint Memorial 74 recognizes the shortages of health professionals in rural areas, and requests the New Mexico Health Policy Commission to review existing retention and recruitment programs administered by the State and, in consultation with appropriate retention and recruitment programs and agencies, report findings to the Legislative Interim Committee by November 2002.
Significant
Issues
HJM 74 would require the HPC to consider, in its assessment,
initiatives that include: increased Medicaid payment rates for physicians;
increased Medicare payments for physicians in coordination with the
Congressional delegation; development of programs to mentor students and
encourage them to enter the health care professions; licensing of foreign
medical graduates or out-of-state health professionals; leveraging County and
local health care funding through matching funds; expansion of the programs
designed to assist rural, medically underserved and health professional
shortage areas; and other similar measures.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
HJM 74 does not include an appropriation
to support this study. While the study
is within the scope and mission of the Health Policy Commission, due to the
proposed budget reductions in HAFC CS/HB2 and SB 379, the HPC reports that they
may not have the capacity to conduct the activities requested in HJM 74. The proposed budget reduction of these two
bills is approximately $828,000, reducing the operating budget of the Health
Policy Commission from $1.8 million in FY202 to $997,000 for FY2003.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
If the proposed budget reductions identified
in the Fiscal Implications section are enacted, HPC staffing may be reduced by
as many as nine FTE according to the commission. Staff time will need to be prioritized to meet statutory
mandates. Therefore, less time will be
available to devote to studies such as the one proposed by HJM 74.
RELATIONSHIP
HJM 74 relates to SJM 16 which would request that the DOH develop a program to promote and encourage youth to enter into the health care professions
TECHNICAL ISSUES
HJM 74 would propose an assessment of the effectiveness of
three programs currently administered by the DOH and the NM Commission on
Higher Education (CHE). The NM CHE is
not mentioned as one of the agencies to be consulted during this assessment.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
The three programs identified in HJM 74
are currently administered by two state agencies, the NM Commission on Higher
Education (NM CHE) and the DOH, and they support initiatives that encourage
health professionals to practice in identified designated areas. Local communities, agencies and governments
are all struggling to ensure the availability of health services despite limited
or nonexistent resources. It is also recognized that recruitment and retention
of these health professional require a focused and coordinated approach.
The Health Policy
Commission 1998 Health Professional Survey found that while a service obligation
is an important factor in recruiting an individual to a rural area, it is not
correlated with retention in the same area.
It was noted that loan repayment and “signing bonuses” (used in other
states) provide more immediate return for the state funds. Recent graduates have higher levels of indebtedness,
and the need to recruit professionals to areas perceived as less desirable
require larger financial incentives.
AMENDMENTS
Add language to include Behavioral Health professionals, the Rural Psychiatry Program at UNM and the NM Commission on Higher Education.
[1]Begin typing on the * in replace mode. Do not add or delete spaces.